23 August,2011 01:08 PM IST | | ANI
A British man who suffered devastating brain injuries after drinking 20 pints of water in just one day has died after struggling for life for months
Matthew Ellis, 29, survived in intensive care for more than seven months before succumbing to a chest infection.
His family believe he may have had a drink spiked with an ecstasy tablet during a night out.
The drug could have caused him to crave water and the excess liquid he drank meant salt levels in his body plummeted, bringing on a brain condition called extrapontine myelinolysis.
Matthew's mother Maureen, 62, from Sheffield last night warned others about the catastrophic dangers of drinking too much water.
"There is no health warning. Water is good if you have a certain amount. But we want to make people more aware not to drink that much," the Daily Express quoted her as saying.
"Matthew went through hell - it's such a waste of a young life," she stated.
Maureen, a technical support officer at Sheffield Council, said Matthew had been working in Wales before Christmas and had taken time off over the holiday ahead of starting a job at Doncaster Prison in January.
He went out with friends on Boxing Day before returning to the home of his father Ken, 66.
"The following day he felt poorly and started drinking water. He drank at least 20 pints. He just couldn't stop - that's what killed him," said Maureen,
"He was a strong, fit and healthy man. We are told drinking lots of water is good for you but what has happened to Matthew should be a warning, it's an appalling waste of a young life," she added.
